The cargo space or bed of a conventional pickup truck is open and, therefore, unprotected from the weather. This can present a serious problem for some types of cargo. This problem has been addressed in a number of ways in the past. One solution has been to provide a flexible cover of watertight material, such as canvas, which has been treated with a moisture sealing material or a plastic. Attachments have been provided on the sides of the cargo space to tie down the cover. A disadvantage associated with this arrangement is that access to the cargo space is achieved by detaching and removing the flexible cover. The canvas is reattached to the various hooks to recover the bed. This process is time consuming and cumbersome.
Another solution has been to provide a rigid roof structure which is placed over the cargo bay and bolted, clamped, or otherwise rigidly secured to the cargo bay. This camper-top type of structure normally has a rear door which is positioned above and cooperates with the tailgate of the cargo space. The only access to the cargo area of the truck is exclusively provided through the rear opening provided by pivoting the rear door and tailgate panel to an open position. This can be very inconvenient when the operator must remove or crawl over other objects to reach something at the cab end of the bed.
Yet another solution to protect cargo in the truck bed has been a flexible cover supported on rigid cross pieces which are mounted on rails secured to the sides of the cargo space for fore and aft movement. This latter type of cover can be folded forwardly against the rear wall of the vehicle cab to expose the cargo bay. However, the disadvantage of this system is that to access objects near the cab of the truck, the cover needs to be opened entirely and again refastened using the numerous snaps and/or hooks to close the cover.
Lastly, another cover for the bed of the pickup used a number of panels mounted to the siderails of the truck bed and configured to slide in telescoping arrangement with each other to cover and uncover the cargo bay. In order to gain access to a portion of the bed closest to the cab, the panels needed to be fully telescoped together. That is to say, an intermediate panel cannot be opened by itself.
All of the above structures have one or more disadvantages including complexity, operational inconvenience, or relatively high cost. None of the above structures provide great flexibility in accessing any portion of the truck bed. In particular, none of the prior structures allow direct access to the forward portion of the bed with a single member to insure closure. Nor do any of the prior structures offer a cover which has a low profile, is substantially rigid, and does not require at least a portion of the cover being fixedly attached or in a stationary position to the siderails of the truck bed.